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CheerfullyInsane -> RE: Server-based PBEM - yay! (12/6/2010 6:59:44 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: dobeln
quote:
ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
Yes, it is in fact the same system as on Field of Glory and Battlefield Academy. We also included "traditional" PBEM as an option for those who prefer that, but I think the Server-based is much easier to use.
Great to hear Erik - after reading up on the Slitherine system, it would seem that the turns that your opponent completes just pop up in your files. If so, thatīs a fantastic advance in PBEM.
Curious / question to anyone who has used the Slith system: How does the anticheat work? I reckon that the server keeps track if you try to reopen the file. Does the game autosave to the server as you execute your turn? Just thinking about how, say, an accidental shutdown / program closing is handled.
Well, presumably they will have changed a few things, but the way it works in Field of Glory is as follows:
First, there isn't a file on your local system, everything is on the server.
The PBEM program simply has a list of your games and will let you know when it's your turn.
I assume this means that you have to be online when playing, but since I'm always online as soon as I boot my PC I can't say for sure.
You can close the game at any point, restarting it at leisure, so I would think that accidental shutdowns shouldn't be a problem. FoG is a tactical game where it doesn't take hours to do a turn, so I can't say if you'll have to start your turn completely over if the gremlins take over your comp. Or in other words, I'm not sure whether the PBEM engine updates the turn realtime. I shouldn't think so, but I'm not PC savvy enough to say for sure.
As for anti-cheating, it's very simple. While you do have an 'undo' button, with Fog of War turned on it is disabled when you 1) discover a new enemy unit, and 2) when you attack.
So basically you can step back your turn until such a point where you could gain an advantage.
There are pros and cons to this though, and I can't say if they've simply copied the system to WitE.
The advantage is obviously that cheating through reloading of games is impossible, unless you decide to hack the system....Which IMHO is just sad. [:D]
However, a lot of FoG players (myself included) have started to play with Fog of War turned off simply because it's too easy to make a mistake. Click the wrong hex, and boom....Your unit is caught in place.
And when you're playing 12+ games simultaneously you tend to speed through your turns, which makes it a little annoying to have to be so careful with unit-placement.
Arguably it doesn't matter all that much in FoG, since it's a tactical game where the battlelines are pretty much in open view all the time. Not to mention that it is a small game with perhaps a max. of 80-90 units per player, so any surprises gained through Fog of War are reasonably short-lived anyway.
But I could imagine that it would be an issue in WitE.
Not a major one mind you, but I would think that it means you'll have to be very careful when moving your panzers through the enemy hinterland.
Hope the above helps a little re. the PBEM system.
Lars
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